Yehuda Clinton

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission created this rule to urge manufacturers to follow the new and evolving standards that are aimed directly at keeping children safe. CPSC Rules Calling For Cordless Window Blinds And Shades Goes went into Effect on December 15, 2018.

CPSC data has indicated that 184 children were strangled to death between 1996 and 2012. More than 100 children sustained severe injuries, many resulted in permanent brain damage, scarring and permanent loss of mobility.

Earlier this year, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved a separate window covering standard which requires any stock or substantially fabricated window covering to be cordless or have inaccessible cords that cannot measure over eight inches in length. The standards also apply to custom-order blinds and window coverings that will require a tilt wand if the cords are over 8 inches long.

These laws were created largely as result of advocacy groups such as pfwbs. Royal Window Treatments sells many different types of cordless blinds.

According to the Oxford Dictionary the origins of the word shade come from the Old English words sceadu or sceadwian. In Old English those words meant shadow. Sceadu is the noun form and sceadwian is the verb form as in to “cast darkness.” The etymology is natural instead of closing a window drawing the shades specifically darkens whats on the inside.

Computer windows teach us about window treatment design

Graphical user interfaces, such as Microsoft Windows, copied design concepts (and brand name) from building windows. There is more then just a brand name connection between computer design and window architecture.
From stained glass mosaics to lattice windows, inspiration and ideas were transferred to the world of computing.

History

From the dawn of the personal computer designer attempted to entice users with familiar design concepts.While Macintosh focused more on design, Microsoft looked at usability and functionality.
This could be compared with light and unobstructed view verses extensive architecture and colorful window cornices.

Susceptible to similar rise and falls of good design practices and trends

See some recent bad design trends in Linux, and in Windows. Macintosh is designed nicely however, often lacks the convenient functionality that others system have.

Future

It seems ideas in graphical computer interfaces and real building windows are about to converge. Smart window or holograms are becoming more common to consumers.

Did you ever hear the word jalousie before? The word refers to a type of blind that has horizontal slats that allow light and air but not direct sun or rain. The etymology of the word comes from jealous. The word came from one of the main purposes of window treatment blocking view of neighbours. The word Jealous is originally french and borrowed by the English 300 years ago. One of the earliest known use of the of word is in 1766 “Rows of Seats with Jalousies in Front that [the women] may not be seen.”

As the proverb in Robert Frost’s poem exclaims Good fences make good neighbors. Private lives and private possessions is cherished in any happy society. The classic American home is portrayed with much separation from the neighbors view. It’s easily understood how an early American would write that line in 1914.

Most people struggle with sleep at least once a week. Doing anything and everything to better your sleep is worth it. Blackout blinds and curtains can help prevent waking up before the desired time. In New York summers the sun comes up as early as 5:24 am. This can trick your body into thinking its morning hours before you need to get up. In the summer it also only gets starts to get dark at around 9:30. This can make it harder to put children to sleep. Blackout roller blinds are popular as they give complete light control of your sleep schedule. Healthy sleep is always part of the equation in a healthy balanced lifestyle.

Royal Window Treatments has a great assortment of blackout blinds in various price ranges.

Assuming it doesn’t come with the set there is a whole other design feature that you need choose when buying a window treatment. What style rod matches the decor of the shades and cornice. A special shade stopper could add plenty of elegance to otherwise plain window. Unless it is completely covered by the cornice the rod or stopper is always noticeable. Of course you need to find something that could go room design without being too large fancy.

A tip to follow for matching a style is, unless you are going for a specific historic style the simpler the better. It is also good to note that black goes with most colors. Crystal could end up being pretty transparent which could hide the stopper altogether.

Royal Window Treatments proudly sponsored the 2018 Brooklyn Film Festival.

We are committed to supporting cultural programs in New York City. The festival was held between June 1st and June 10th. The events took place mostly in the neighbourhoods of Williamsburg and Downtown Brooklyn. The Film Festival presents a window in time of culture and art. The people at Royal Window Treatments Center deeply enjoy the arts of film and the historical Jewish content within. Tell us what you think about the Brooklyn Film Festival or other culture and art events that interest you.

Ever wanted a complete home theater system but didn’t have money or space?

As digital film projectors get smaller and cheaper it is now possible for anyone to build their own quality home theater system. Traditional projector screens are unsightly and consume ceiling space. Using your window treatment to double as a projector screen makes perfect sense. Motorizedroller shades make the easiest projector screens as they extend and extract on the press of a button. The projector itself could be placed hanging from the ceiling or temperately set up on furniture. A typical 1080p HD projector costs from about $200 to $500 on Amazon or B&H-photovideo. You want at least 3000 lumens if there is going to be some ambient light in the room.

But what does it look like from the outside?

Yes, the colors and shapes might be visible to someone on the outside. One way to deal with this is to know that nothing will be visible through blinds in the daytime. Another way is to make sure you are using roller shades or blackout blinds that don’t allow any light in or out of your home.

Conclusion

If you or your kids want a home theater system there is no excuse. A whole system including speakers and shade screen shouldn’t cost more than $500.

Using blinds and shades properly can dramatically reduce summer cooling and winter heating costs. Depending on the season different window treatment types are ideal. In this post we explain how to design the most comfortable and Eco friendly window treatment for your home.

Normal Blinds with horizontal slats

Blinds are best used in the summer. They are able to reflect out the sun light to reduce heat gain by 45%. If you do need the natural sunlight but still want to save on heat you can adjust the blinds to reflect on to a lightly-colored ceiling. A lightly-colored ceiling can diffuse the light without adding much heat or glare. Another advantage of window blinds is being able to adjust it to allow in a breeze from an open window while at the same time deflecting the heat from the sun.

Here is great place to learn about the different blind and window shutter options available.

Draperies and shades

Drapes and simular kinds of window treatments are ideal for the winter season. Although curtains are overall less efficient at reducing heat in the summer you could still save up to 33%. The most optimal summer shade would be a medium colored curtain with a white plastic backing.

A shade’s ability to reduce heat loss in the winter depends on several factors including fabric style, thickness and color. Obviously a closed weave fabric will be better at controlling room temperature than hole weave pattern like this. It’s best if you let the drapes fall over on to the floor or windowsill and also overlap in the middle. Velcro could be used to tightly attach the drapes at the sides and bottom. If they don’t touch the ceiling a cornice should be installed over the top. Two sets of shades hung over each other could also help. If all done properly it’s possible to reduce heat loss by up to 25%. Most standard window shades reduce heat loss from a room up to around 10% by default.